No Turning Back

Chapter Four: The Hivemind

A multitude of stars illuminated the night sky as not a cloud dared blemish the heavenly scene. Hollowed out buildings littered the horizon as abandoned cars lay strewn on the fading roads. Amongst the examinate, achromic, man-made ruins; vivid green shoots had already begun to emerge from the rust and dust.

Kiana lay sleeping whilst Primis poured over Richtofen's notes. They had decided to spend the evening in the safety of the projector room until they figured out their next move. There were no undead around as if the horde had all gathered to pursue Richtofen. But the room still provided protection from them - should they return.

Primis rubbed his temples in frustration. Kiana had explained that the story had been sparse on details as to how Richtofen made his way to the cosmodrome. It just seemed so unlikely that the lunar lander could have flown the great distance between Germany and Russia without requiring refuelling - especially so if the landers in Ascension were anything to go by. They needed refueling every time the crew used them around the map.

On top of that, the biggest question still remained; Kiana and Primis had to figure out their own way to get to the Cosmodrome as well. Primis sat at Richtofen's desk as he tried to glimmer some clues - or coordinates. They needed something which could help get them there before Richtofen. Kiana at least knew the purpose of Richtofen's journey to the Russian facility - which was to retrieve his diary. And Primis wanted nothing more than to get to it first and be the one to hold the advantage.

Though, for now, sleep began to call to him which - like Richtofen - also caused him to feel dread and anxiety. He, too, had a violent and amoral past which he would claim was a mere consequence of he and Maxis' noble quest and was "for the greater good".

But, since he became self-aware of his psychopathic nature and was now willing to confront it; he had at least stopped short of the precipice. This self-awareness allowed him to look into the abyss and see the fate he narrowly escaped. The same descent into madness that Richtofen found himself struggling to crawl out from.

But, regardless, the guilt of his past deeds would always rear its ugly head without fail whenever the sun set and the stillness of the night crept in. The spectres he had accumulated so far - at the age of thirty-three - would awaken to torment him as they gambolled around in his mind and invaded even his most intimate thoughts.

Though, this evening, he was to be shown mercy and spared these feelings of vexation. Primis leaned back in his chair as a wave of overwhelming exhaustion swept over him. He quietly got up and made sure the door to the projector room was indeed bolted closed. He then made his way to Kiana as he lay down near her and wrapped himself in his blanket.

His eyelids weighed heavily as he fought to keep them open; though, every few seconds they would lower and obscure his vision before he jolted awake. Primis wanted to take one last look at Kiana before going to sleep - he wanted the last image in his mind before he dreamt to be of something pretty.

She lay on her side facing towards him - her face now serene and peaceful. Primis knew the usual frown she carried around all day was simply her way of dealing with the world. Because, when she spoke, her words were always full of concern and care for the wellbeing of others. He understood her frustration with life as he thought back to when he was her age - and how jaded he already was by twenty-four.

In the heady daze of fatigue, images began to appear in Primis' mind. Images of Kiana looking up at him appeared as they faded in and out whilst he watched the scene through the eyes of another. Suddenly, he became inundated with fragments of a memory which was not his.

Pieces of the memory began to come into focus with eery familiarity: handcuffs, the projector room, Kiana's face as it crumpled, her shrill piercing cry. The blade of the knife as it tore into the wooden window sill - the very sill whose wound he had traced with his fingers when they returned to the room. The broken cuff that still hung from the projector, the pieces of warped chain links that scattered themselves across the floor - their origins began to make sense.

But most importantly, Primis remembered the embrace. The nape of his neck tingled as he watched through the same unknown eyes as Kiana reached up and put her hand on the unknown man's nape. The sensation of his arms wrapped around her waist felt both new and familiar. He began to feel weak and overwhelmed at the ghostly trace of her lips against his.

But just as Primis found himself in the eye of the whirlwind - pondering who's perspective he was watching from - Kiana finally spoke to the unknown man.

"Edward..." Her voice called out in a faint whisper.

Primis knew in that moment that this was Richtofen's memory of what transpired when they were alone.

He felt conflicted as he tried to fight through what Richtofen had felt and appraise his own feelings on what had transpired. The intense manic love which Richtofen had felt now suffocated Primis as he felt the tragic urgency in Richtofen's desire to feel loved. It was unsettling how someone like Richtofen - who had tried so very hard to devoid himself of any emotion - had clamoured desperately for the affection of another.

Both men were very different, more so than even their age difference conveyed - they housed two very different personalities. Yet, the universe they shared had bound them together as mere iterations of the same person. But the disruption caused by Richtofen's tampering with the fabric of space and time had now allowed them to share the same space - and memories.

There was always a delay between a memory being formed in Richtofen's mind and it becoming accessible to Primis. But, the more he thought, in his groggy state; the more he realised the advantage of this hivemind. Surely, whatever Richtofen was doing now would soon be unlocked within Primis' mind.

It would allow Kiana and Primis to keep track of Richtofen as he continued to carry out his Grand Scheme - albeit with a slight delay. But, it also made sense to assume that this power worked both ways. And perhaps Richtofen knew this when he left Primis behind with Kiana.

Once the thought formed itself with crytal clear clarity in Primis' mind; he soon lost his fight against the weight of sleep. His body cried out with exhaustion as his mind finally permitted himself rest. The matter would be better discussed first thing in the morning with a refreshed mind.

Or so he thought...

End of part four...